On Death's Wings Revamp
by SamPaek
Summary: Ichigo had been kidnapped but to where? And who are these guys in lab coats? And who is "Briggard"? What do they want with Ichigo! Read to find out! Rated T due to sensitive situations.
1. The Battle

**[AUTHOR NOTE; I'm only really redoing this story as it was relatively popular! And I hope I can make it better!]**

Above the quiet town, a vicious battle was taking place. The sword slashed, both the wielder and the sword itself screaming, the hollow disappearing with a gurgle. There were many hollows approaching Karakura Town. Too much to just be a mere coincidence. The orange haired teen let his Zanpaktou, Zangetsu, rest at his side for a second. He scanned the area, his hazel eyes taking in the numbers, his chest rising and falling as he fought to get his breath back.

'Shit! How many of these things are there?' He was getting increasingly pissed off. He was in the middle of class, again, when the horde of Hollows decided to attack. "At this rate, I'm surprised I'm not expelled.." He muttered under his breath.

He charged at them once more, unleashing two Getsuga Tenshou's, which seemed to deplete the hollow's numbers considerably… for the time being. It didn't take long for more to come through, though. His friends were off in the distance, fighting off their own small army. "I hope Renji and Rukia are okay. They seem to be having a hard time as well.."

He didn't have much time to ponder, as the screech of the hollow approaching him broke his concentration.

While he fought a seemingly never-ending battle, another Garganta split open the sky. An army of humans wearing demon masks poured through the opening, Ichigo was concentrating too much on the hollows to sense the human's presence approach him. Without as much as a second passing between the human's arriving, they surrounded the boy. The Hollows backed off and retreated back to where they came from, but Ichigo was too preoccupied to notice. The masked humans wore army uniforms, but instead of the usual green camouflage, these had dark grey and blacks. Their entire look was unusual. They all wore the same mask, the exact same clothes, and a dark hood to cover their hair.

Ichigo was confused, his eyes darting around, trying to keep all of the new enemies in his sight - his brain buzzing as he tried to keep his eye on his countless new enemies... but it was a fruitless venture.

A flash of metal and what felt like a very hard shove was all that Ichigo could register. He found himself panting, even though he was perfectly fine a couple of seconds before.

He went to clutch his injury, but his hand was not able to touch his shoulder as easily as usual.

There was what seemed a piece of machinery attached to it. The small machine couldn't have been much larger than his hand, but it had the weight of something ten times the size. Suddenly the machine sputtered and roared into life, with an angry metallic sound, and little lights on its body began flashing.

Ichigo roared in pain, as the machine stabbed into his shoulder, through the flesh and muscle, and eventually grasping on to the very bone. The deeper it dug, the louder it was becoming - it was deafening.

"What the h-!"

Without warning, Ichigo groaned, the world turning dark as he passed out, body becoming limp as he started plummeting towards the town, head first.

One of the female humans dashed under him and managed to catch him by his collar. With a casual flick of her wrist, he flung him over her shoulder, uncaring.

Placing her hand in front of her, another portal ripped open. Casually throwing Ichigo to one of her accomplices, the rest of the horde rushed through the portal, leaving little evidence that they were even there. As silence came back over the area, the woman pulled back her sleeve to show a communications device.

"This is Briggard. We got him. Returning to HQ. Over and out."

There was a smugness in her voice, an implied smirk. Just as the portal was beginning to close, Briggard disappeared into the portal, a crack of electricity the only evidence, left.


	2. Crimson River

The army of masked humans slowly disappeared, as they made their way into the dark dimension between the worlds until there was only three left. As the last ones disappeared, the two of the masked ones let out pained groans as their bodies twisted and grew, becoming large and muscular, whereas the third stayed perfectly still, and remained unchanged. The reishi platform began to crack under the weight as the two finished their transformations - still humanoid in shape, but much larger, now standing at 6'10. Taking off their masks, the two transformed humans let out a sigh. Both were male, and identical facially - the only difference being their hair - one had a very simple crew cut, whereas the other twin had shoulder length black hair that was pulled back into a low ponytail, a couple of strands of hair escaping at his temples. They were very pale as if they hadn't been in contact with the sun for a very long time. Their eyes were also dark brown, which was slightly slanted, a nasty smirk on their scarred lips.

"Oi, Gray!" The crew cut male shouted to his brother, who shot him a very dirty look. "What? What do you want, Noah?" He spat back at his twin.

"Help Amelia with her mask - she must be sweating something awful under there!" With that, he shoved Samson slightly in the direction of Hunter. He leaned down and removed her mask, a glare meeting him.

"I didn't need your help, you big idiot." She growled at him. Samson clicked his tongue to himself. "You just can't be nice to some people, can you?" He straightened up and gave his head a little rub.

Underneath the female's mask, was the same face on the two males, but with some slight differences. Her eyes were more slanted, giving her a more feminine look but also a permanent glare. She was a considerable amount smaller, but in no way weaker. Her raven hair reached her slight hips. If she had a better attitude and personality most people would agree that she was in fact, very pretty. Amelia Briggard stretched slightly as she turned to face her two brothers.

"We had better get back to Jeb with his new specimen, and quickly. " Her voice was cold, emotionless. It always has been. The two brothers nodded and sprinted ahead, at an inhuman speed. They created a somewhat level crossing for their sister. Grunting, the woman lifted the boy's limp body and shifted Ichigo on her shoulders, muttering. "You better be worth this trip, kid." She then started running herself, easily managing to keep up, despite the extra weight.

The journey was a silent one, as the siblings ran in a point formation, Noah at the point, Grayson on his left and Amelia on his right. After what felt like a couple of hours, they arrive at an exit. Noah alerted his brother and sister as the skidded to a stop, the two men slightly breathless, Amelia panting heavily. Noah waved his hand in front of him, the air in front of him shimmering then becoming a black, solid wall. He waved his hand again and the wall tore apart, giving them entry into the new world.

They all stepped into the room ahead of them. It had a pungent antibacterial smell, with every surface shining. There was a counter of sorts around the room, covered with many surgical tools and other medical equipment. In the middle of the room was a metal surgical bed, with large leather straps attached to the top and bottom, where the arms and ankles would be. There were only a single exit and one window. As they stepped in, the Garganta shaped entrance snapped shut behind them.

Amelia moaned as she let Ichigo crash onto the surgical bed, the whirring instrument in his shoulder whirring like it might explode. With an agitated grunt, Hunter swiped her hand across Ichigo's shoulder, grabbing the machine. As she grabbed it, Ichigo's body suddenly moved on its own accord, his back arching. There was a splat of blood as she tore it from his shoulder, a sickening crack echoed through the room, as the boy's collarbone snapped clean in half from the force. The twins winced, sucking in air in empathy.

A pool of blood was forming on the tile floor, travelling through the gaps, reaching the corners of the room. Suddenly a door opened, and a tall man walked through, in a stark white lab coat. He wore half-moon glasses, which were perched on his long, slightly crooked nose. He had snow white hair, that was glossed back, his icy blue eyes were cold and emotionless. His face was old and worn, thanks to years of hunched over a desk, concentrating. The doctor was by no means small, standing well over Amelia's 5'10 frame. He walked swiftly into the room, his eyes falling onto the bleeding teenager. He furrowed his brow and glared at Amelia, who still held the bloody machine in her hand.

"Who are you? And what the bloody hell are you doing in my theatre?" He had a strong English accent, which was slightly shrill. He pointed to the bloody wound on Ichigo's shoulder. Amelia didn't reply but instead said. "I take it you are to be Dr Edward Aswell?" The middle-aged man nodded briskly, as he opened his mouth to ask something, Amelia talked on top of him. "We are Bounty Hunters. " She looked the Doctor straight in the eye. "Here's the deal, Dr Aswell. This boy here is a specimen that my team and I were told to collect. We do not know why he's so important, and we don't really care." She paused, sighed and carried on. "Our client is Jeb Batchelder, you may know the name. We were ordered to bring him here, and someone would be here to pick him up." She looked positively bored. The man looked shocked, then confused, then returned to his normal stern expression. "Ah yes... But, if I may ask.." He pointed to the machine in the woman's hand. "What was that? What did it do to the boy?" Hunter paused before replying. "This here is called an Atomic Reishi Converter Extractor. Or A.R.C.E for short. In the dimension we just arrived from, his species is built from a substance called 'Reishi'. What that is yet, we have yet to find out. But this little monster here.." She held up the grotesque little machine in front of her face., blood dripping down her hand. "..extracts the said reishi, and converts it into one of these." She slammed her hand against the back of the machine. Suddenly a little red pill flew out. She caught it mid-air and studied it. "That little red pill is very, very important, Doctor." She flung it at the somewhat confused Doctor, who scrambled for a second before grasping it in both of his large hands. "What…what am I supposed to do with this?" His voice was quieter than before. Hunter shrugged and replied simply. "Keep it safe, bin it...I couldn't care less."

With that, she turned and barked at Noah to open the door again. Waving his hand at the wall, the portal reappeared. "Goodbye, Dr Edward." With that, the trio disappeared. The doctor sighed as he placed the red pill in on of the many test tubes and put a stopper on the top. He turned to Ichigo as he took off his glasses, shaking his head as he wandered up to the limp body on the bed, the boys' expression peaceful. "So you're the poor bastard I've to work on….poor kid." He looked sad, before cracking his knuckles. "Might as well get it over and done with." He started to take off Ichigo's shinigami clothes, putting on a hospital gown like a garment on him. He then strapped him to the bed, the leather straps tight. The doctor walked near the door and dragged a gas canister into the room. He attached a mask to the canister and put it over Ichigo's mouth.

The doctor began the preparations as he moved to the sink rolling up his sleeves and washing his hands, a stern look on his face. The blue latex gloves snapped as they were put on. Dr Aswell grabbed a scalpel from the tray attached to the bed and made the first incision.

The blood now ran all through the floor.


	3. Boom, Boom!

**.: Hey guys! I'll be uploading the chapters I have (I think I have about 7 saved) every two days, so I can try and keep a general good upload schedule, until I need to make new material, which will then go on to a weekly upload! I hope you guys enjoy!:.**

The doctor's arm was covered in blood and entrails. After nine hours of surgery, he was finally finished. He hollowed out bones, moves around internal organs to make way for an air sac, and then added the final touch; the wings. The wings were the most complicated, and bloody part of the entire procedure, as the doctor has to peel away the boys skin and configure the shoulder muscles and tendons to bear the bulk of the new appendages. He also had to be extremely careful, as to not tear the blood vessels, or nerves. The wings aren't going to do the boy much good if he can't feel or move them. The boys entire body was covered in stitches in some way or another, reminding the doctor of Frankenstein's monster in a strange way - since he was technically Aswell's Monster. His face had two linear scars down through his eyes, and down his cheeks, as had to do some minor surgery on his eyes, and remove any fat he could find, including his cheeks. The boy had very little body fat!

The doctor sighed, exhausted. His bones were tired and stiff from such an arduous surgery - he was getting on in his years. The doctor had done his job, and he had patched the boy back up again. He tied bandages tight around Ichigo's mid-drift, starting from his hips, up to his neck, just before his chin, so that the wings could heal properly, adding extra bandages around the area where the wings were attached since that was the most fragile. After he had finished patching up the main wounds on Ichigo, he moved to adding bandages on the other wounds, taking special care to wrap the boy's eyes up. The doctor frowned as he wrapped the boy up, guilt slowly rising in his heart. He shook his head - he needed this job - the money would be more than enough to pay for his grandson's medical bills.

The doctor shouted for some assistance, his voice hoarse from being silent for such a long time. Two men entered the theatre, both dressed in lab coat similar to the doctor. Both stopped in sync and gasped slightly at the sight before them. However, the Dr's voice brought them back to reality. "You two, go get a recovery bed, then help me move him. Be careful, he's just fresh out of surgery!" The two nodded and hurried out of the door, and returned a minute or so later, bed in tow. They aligned the two beds then rushed over to help the doctor. After a minute or so of grunting and moaning, they managed to get Ichigo's limp body onto the recovery bed. He was still bleeding heavily. The doctor cursed and grabbed a needle and jabbed Ichigo's arm. "That should stop that..." the doctor whispered to himself, just as the flow became slower and slower until it was barely dripping.

The assistants wheeled Ichigo into a large, white room. It had a series of cages on the sides, the kind made for dogs, all about different sizes. Most were large, but there were a few smaller cages dotted in between them. They all emitted some kind of noise, be it human or otherwise. Inside the cages were children that had been mutated into some kind of hybrid, much like Ichigo. Some were successes…and some were not. There were two larger cages, at the side upper corner of the room, and they were the loudest of them all. Not because they were screeching, but rather the movement of the cage on the tiled floor. Inside the largest one was a lanky 14-year-old teenage boy. He had large blue, yet sightless eyes, that had a softness to them. His strawberry blonde hair was going in all directions, and his 6'2 body was tangled in the small space. He was not made to fit in a cage - not that anyone was, but due to his size, the cage was extra uncomfortable - the plastic cut into his skin, and his back ached. He grunted as he tried to find a position that wasn't too painful, as he moved all of his appendages - his wings becoming more uncomfortable as they were squished into an unnatural position. At last, his cage was silent. He was upside down, his legs curled up in a fetal-like position. He sighed before hoarsely whispering to the cage beside him. "Oi! Gasman! You awake?" He waited for a minute before a grumbling came from the cage beside him.

"Just…just five more minutes…" Gasman, (or better known as Gazzy), replied. The boy was only 8 years old, with his messy blonde hair, and dark blue eyes. He was moaning in his sleep, not actually paying any attention to the teen in the cage beside him. The teen let out a grunt and flung his weight to the side of his cage so that it hit the younger boys cage. With a yelp, the boy hit his head as he was woken so violently. "What the….what was that all about, Iggy?" He moved to that his face was pressed against the cold metal bars of his cage. "I can't believe we got caught. Again." He sighed and looked over at the older boy, and whispered. "What was it?" The teen was silent but instead pointed a finger over to the general area of the recovery bed, where Ichigo lay. The boys' voice was quiet and thoughtful. "That was just rolled in. And I want to know what it is." He sounded mildly frustrated. Gazzy pressed up against the bars, trying to get a better look. "Um.. there's a guy on a bed. Looks like a recovery bed, going by the bandages." He stopped, his eyes wide. "Gasman, what is it? You can't do that to me. Tell me, what's up there!" He was unusually snappy.

"Uh, Iggy? I think he's one of us. One of the Avian bird Hybrid's." He spoke slow, his little mind racing. "What? I thought you had to be born with the bird DNA? That doesn't make any sense. He should be…he shouldn't be there." The young kid took a deep breath. "Alright. We need to get out here, and quickly." His voice was low, yet gentle, with a hint of urgency. "Yeah, I thought so too.", Iggy replied. He paused. "How are we gonna get out? They took everything from us. Also…what about him? Are we taking him?" Iggy was quiet for a while, a deeply contemplative expression on his young face. "Okay, here's the plan." Gazzy watched as he explained the entire plan with his hands, in their own special code. "And he's coming with us."

Iggy braced himself, gritting his teeth. He started flapping his giant wings and screamed with all his lungs. Four burly guards came through the door and headed straight for Iggy's cage. As the guard unlocked the cage to beat him to silence, a foot was planted in the guard's face, a sickening cracking sound emitting throughout the room. The kick had caused the guards nose, and the majority of his teeth to break. As the guard roared in pain, Iggy made a dash out of his cage, straightening out his long body as he punched two of the guards straight in the face. "Not bad for a blind kid, right?" He chuckled for a second and then hit off the lock on Gasman's cage. He darted out, his wings spread out. Iggy's wings were also splayed out, ready to fly when needed. Gasman and Iggy both rushed over to where Ichigo was and gasped slightly when they saw him. Both cringed in sympathy. They knew that he was going to be in pain, whoever he was. Gasman ripped out the IV drip that was attached to the boy's hand, while Iggy placed Ichigo gently as he could on his back - it was difficult, but he managed it. Grabbing as many painkillers as possible, he shoved them in his pocket. "Poor guy's gonna need all the help he can get."

Suddenly Iggy started running, Gasman after him. Gasman screeched to a stop suddenly and looked back, a glint of sadness in his eyes, as he looked into all the other experiments. He really wished he could rescue them as well. "We'll be back! I swear! Just hold out until then!" He shouted before running after Iggy. They ran through corridors until they found what they were looking for. A supply closet. Gasman rushed in and grabbed some materials. A massive, mischievous grin was on his face. As he could hear the basics of what Gazzy was making, Iggy also grinned. He then flashed his fingers, gasman smiling more and more. They were far away enough for the other's not to be involved in their plan.

Iggy flapped his white wings, gaining air quickly, the younger joining him. They managed to get to the window before Gasman tapped Iggy's hand, then shouted with glee.

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!."

The explosion wasn't huge, but it was enough to send Iggy and Gasman into the air, Ichigo's body flopping around, but Iggy had a tight grip. They levelled out, doubled up in laughter. They gave each other a high five and grinned. Ichigo mumbled in his sleep, giving the pair a fright. They headed back to where they were taken, Yellow Stone Park. It took about 4 hours to reach that week's 'base' - which happened to be a large clearing in a forest. They landed a couple of meters away from the Flock, Iggy panting heavily. They never stopped for a break, so they were both exhausted. They walked slowly up to the clearing, just in time to see the Flock prepare to leave."Hey! Hey! Everyone!" Gasman rushed out in front, just in time. The group of teenagers cheered as they saw Gasman run towards them, grinning. Iggy was lagging behind, panting heavily.

Max, the leader of the group, was the first to answer. "We were just coming to rescue you! How did you get-? Oh, wait." Max wiped some debris off Gasman's shoulder. "I see." She smiled, kneeling down, and hugged Gasman, nearly crushing him in the process. "Where's Iggy?" Her voice was calm, but she was concerned. Even though she knew the teen could look after himself, she always worried. Gasman smiled and gestured behind him. "He's just…" He looked around before finishing off his sentence quietly. "…behind me." The clearing was bare. Gasman ran back, shouting. The teen replied quickly, but rather quietly. Gasman reached Iggy just in time to see him collapse, exhausted. The orange haired teen on his back had rolled onto his side, bleeding, and moaning. Max, Fang, Nudge and Total caught up just in time to see Iggy touch the ground. A crimson pool had appeared on Iggy's shoulder, a present from his passenger. They all shouted in unison.

Max jogged over to the lanky teen and sighed. He was just asleep. "Gasman…who the hell is he?" Her voice was dangerously calm. "Uh… he was in the School as well. I think they did something to him. We couldn't leave him there, could we?"

She walked over to the bleeding orange haired teen and gasped. Even if he was a stranger or an enemy, he couldn't do much in the state he was in. "We'll see what he is when he's awake and recovered. Come on, help me with him." Fang and nudge jogged over and reluctantly picked up the teens feet, while Max -very carefully - placed her arms under his armpits. They walked into the centre of the clearing, next to the dying fire. The sun had begun to set, drenching the group of mismatched teens in an orange glow. They gently placed him next to the fire to keep him warm and placed a spare blanket over him. Max sat down and sighed. "I'd better call Dr Martinez, shouldn't I? See if she can help him.. whoever or whatever he is."

She flipped open her disposable mobile and punched in a number. The dialling tone was interrupted by a chirpy voice. "Um, Dr Martinez? It's Max. I'm sorry to call you on such short notice…but we have a slight problem that I think you could help us with…if you don't mind, that is…"


	4. Whimpers

**.: Note; Ichigo is in more pain than just physically - the doctor had done some 'adjustments' to Ichigo's soul, too! So he's not being overdramatic! I hope you are all enjoying this - I'm enjoying the nostalgia if nothing else! :.**

After a couple of minutes of conversation, Max finally hung up. A sigh left her lips as she stood and stretched. "Alright. Dr Martinez can treat the newcomer. We'll be heading out tomorrow." She walked over to the campfire and placed her hands over the fire, attempting to take the chill from her hands while also to giving her some time to think. The sun was still high in the sky, but the sun held very little warmth.

Ichigo suddenly groaned loudly, making the Flock's heads snap towards him in sync. Their eyes collectively widened at what they saw- he had managed to pull himself up onto his elbows, panting very heavily. Ichigo did not look good - his bandages were coming loose, showing bloody wounds and gnarly stitching. Slowly lifted his head, his eyes squeezed shut from the mere effort of moving his own head - he first attempted to open his eyes but found only darkness when he tried, as the bandage was still wrapped around his head. Tearing off the bandage, light attacked his fragile corneas making him wince. Looking around groggily, due to the copious amount of medication that was currently coursing through him, his brain was unable to make sense of what his eyes were seeing. Abruptly Ichigo let out a loud yelp. The instinct to curl up in the fetal position was robbed from him, his legs unresponsive to his commands. The orange haired boy let out a loud scream as his muscles screamed in agony.

Max ran over to the screaming man, and went to place her hand on his shoulder but stopped suddenly, letting her hand hover. She withdrew her hand and shouted; a sense of urgency in her voice, for someone to get a blanket. 'Why…why did I stop? It wasn't exactly intimate…' Max pondered to herself. Iggy's footfalls could be heard approaching Ichigo, blankets in hand. He gently placed the blankets over the man's shoulders, Ichigo's whimpers dying down until he passed out from the pain. Iggy looked over at Max, a worried expression written on his face.

"Max, I don't think he can wait until tomorrow…" Max's expression also became worried. He was right, she knew that much. But…what is this guy? She had a nervous knot in her stomach whenever she was near him. She shut her eyes, thinking. but she soon opened them. and stood up. Clearing her throat, she caught her family's attention - with a sense of authority, gave her orders. "Iggy, you and Fang, could you take…" She hadn't given him a nickname yet. It was getting a little tiresome to keep calling him "stranger" or "him". She thought for a minute. "Could you two please take Red?" She cringed internally. She wasn't the best at originality, and since he had flaming red hair, it made sense. Fang tapped Iggy's hand three times, to which Iggy nodded. Fang then went over to Ichigo- or rather, Red- and placed him on his back, Ichigo groaning softly as he was moved. It was an odd sight, as Ichigo was rather largely built, and Fang…was not. Iggy gathered the blankets and covered Ichigo as much as he could. After a moment, he finished. Fang spoke. "Iggy and I will take turns carrying…Red." he shifted his shoulders and snapped open his wings. Without as much as a grunt, they all took off in the direction of Dr Martinez's home.

After a couple of hours, they landed safely a couple hundred meters away from the Martinez household. Iggy and Fang were both breathing heavily, as was Ichigo. The ride was smooth, but it must've felt like the flight of hell for Ichigo...if he was awake that is. His wounds were barely being held together, as the stitches were coming loose because of all the movement. He was never conscious for more than a few minutes at a time, but when he was awake, all he could do was whimper softly. Ichigo was on Iggy's back for the last stretch of the flight, but it was Fang who noticed Ichigo's discomfort. "Max! We gotta get him in there, and quick." Max nodded and ran ahead, while Iggy jogged behind her, his legs feeling like they were made of lead. They soon reached the wooden door, Max's fist pounding it. There was a hurried sound behind the door, before the door swung open, a disgruntled Dr Valencia. Her eyes opened at the sight of Max, and at the boy on Iggy's back. She quickly ushered them in. "Max…are the rest out there? Hurry up and tell them to come in! Iggy, you come with me." Dr Martinez had her 'doctoring' boots on. Max quickly nodded and ran back outside, slightly crashing through the door.

A couple of minutes later, Red was sprawled on his stomach on a makeshift hospital bed, with the flock, Ella and Valencia surrounding him. His bandages were fairly loose and very bloody. The doctor quickly pulled on her gloves and started removing the bandages, little by little. After about thirty minutes had passed, she finally slipped the last of the bandages off. They all stood in awe, with their mouths hanging loose. On the back of this teenager was a set of superficial wings. Since he didn't have the DNA imported when he was still a fetus, the School had to be a little creative, and use his spiritual energy to create a set of wings that were sure to be accepted by Ichigo's body. His wings were at least 15 feet long, and a dark, dark red, which looked more like black from far away. At the tips of each feather was a flash of a lighter shade of red, then a white tip, which, all in all, covered about a quarter of each feather. His back had been slit from his neck to his tailbone, with nasty, open wounds marking them."Poor wonder he had passed out… " Dr Martinez muttered under her breath. With a small click of her tongue, she went and retrieved an IV drip, full of morphine. She installed it in the boy's wrist vein, to give instant her back to the flock, her voice was concerned, with a tint of firmness.

"Now, what do you plan to do with him once he's healed?


	5. The Good Doctor

Max didn't really think that far ahead. She and the flock stood in silence, that thought never really passing through their heads. All they cared about at that moment was trying to make sure the teenager lived through the hell he'd just endured - they sympathised with him. He probably never asked for that to happen, and now he would have to live with what he had endured. The leader began to fiddle with her hoodie for only a moment before looking at the doctor straight in her eye, her voice strong and unwavering. "We'll show him how to survive. We'll teach him how to fly...how to adapt...We're good at that." Turning to her family that now occupied Dr Valencia's operating room (which was her bedroom only minutes previous.) "Are you guys okay with that?" The group nodded in sync - Fang being slightly hesitant, but he knew that deep down if they left him now, it would've been more merciful to just kill him when they first set eyes upon him.

The doctor set to work, but not before shoo-ing the flock from the room. This type of procedure needed space, and time, especially since human-avian hybrids weren't exactly her speciality (even if, in the back of her head, she's starting to think that it was becoming that way). Grudgingly sitting in the living room, each person sitting in either a chair, the floor, or pacing in the limited space. The time seemed to creep by, the entire group wincing when they hear a grunt or yelp, the morphine not being able to reach his soul. One hour passed, then two. Then another. The exhaustion from the long, fast flight hitting them all, Fang and Iggy especially. After the 6th hour, a sound of soft snoring came over the living room as exhaustion took over, only one person still awake. Max stood at the door, her ear pressed against the wood. There were very little noises coming from the 'theatre' now. The painful sounds stopped after about 4 hours, and a part of her...a very small part of her thought maybe he had died right there. But, he hadn't. Or at least that's what she presumed.

Jumping back with a yelp as the door swung open, the corner catching her temple, and she let out a shout, waking the flock with her noise, the poor kids nearly jumping out of their skin. Rubbing the soreness away, she glared marginally at the doctor before remembering why she was there in the first place. Forgetting the pain, she couldn't bear to ask. but instead perked an eyebrow, asking mentally 'Did he make it? Will he be alright?" As if hearing her telepathic questions, she nodded but sighed deeply. That was never a good sign. She looked exhausted, but as soon as she looked over at the slightly dazed group, she smiled. "He'll make it. It'll take time for him to heal, but.. they seemed to have attached those wings on good. They'll be usable, and so will his muscles." Pausing for breath, a hand reaching for her hip. "The scars should go down too, in time. He's a tough one, alright... any other human would have died hours ago." The doctor looked over her shoulder at her patient. "If not during the procedure." Turning back to face the group of teens that were crowding her living room, she produced a small glass vial from her pocket. "I also found this - it looks like it was left behind. It was attached to his spine." In the small vial was a metallic substance, similar to mercury. However, on closer inspection, it began to move as if it had a life of its own.

Nodding solemnly, Max let out a sigh of relief she wasn't even aware she was holding. Leaning against the wall, running her fingers through her hair, a relieved smile formed on her face. He was going to make it, after all. Dr Valencia suddenly spoke, bringing Max out of her daydream. "You guys can sleep here tonight. I know it'll be cramped, but I don't want you out flying tonight. I'll bring down some covers and pillows." Her voice was soft...tired. Turning away from the group, the doctor left, shutting the door behind her with a soft click. Letting herself slide down the wall, all of the tension that had built in her finally released.

A little while later - with all beds set up and every flock member tucked in for the night. Most of them fell asleep before their head even touched the pillow, and Max was not far behind. Turning herself over, she smiled to herself. She was happy that Red was going to live. The smile never left her face until she had fallen into a deep sleep. In the other room, Ichigo began to stir. It was about five o'clock in the morning when his face screwed up. His mind was...blurry. Where was he? What had happened..? Was he dreaming? He couldn't answer any of the questions in his drugged state. His eyes fluttered open slowly, the bedroom in which he lay dark, with only the moonlight illuminating the room. Finally opening his eyes, he let them focus. Moving his eyes, he tried to figure out where he was, but nothing was familiar, not even the air. And that was when he suddenly snapped upright, suddenly very alert. He needed to know where he was. A shot of pain coursing through his entire body never stopped him, even if it did make him double over slightly. Turning slowly, the hospital nightgown wrapping around his heavy legs, he finally managed to sit on the edge of the bed. His breathing heavy, but his determination made him start to stand, his legs still not strong enough to support him. Grabbing a crutch that had been left there, he shoved it under his arm and tried to stand again. The second attempt was a lot more effective as he managed to stand.. and now came the really difficult part. Walking. Starting painfully slow, putting one bandaged foot in front of the other, he made his way to the door. Pulling it open with a grunt, he was greeted by a very surprised looking woman in a pink, fluffy dressing gown. Letting out a frightened yell, his foothold, or whatever was there, left him, sending his already broken body to the ground, his long legs flailing. Valencia, also frightened - dropped the cup that was in her hand, before rushed over to help him, which was made more difficult as the orange haired teenager tried to fight her off. During the noise, Max stumbled out of the mass bedroom followed by Fang. As soon as her tired eyes spotted his very bright orange hair, she dived to help, Fang following her lead.

A struggle, and a good few bruises later, Ichigo was back in bed, this time tied down by belts across his ankles, wrists and torso. His breathing was irregular, as was everyone. Slowly moving his stiffened neck, he looked at the three strangers.

"You better tell me where I am and why, before... before I do something I'll regret later."


	6. Straightening Out

**.: Sorry this took so long to upload - work and health got in the way! Hope you enjoy - it's a little shorter:.**

Max refrained from kicking the boy out of frustration. They were only trying to help! Taking a deep breath to calm her shaking hands, she looked at the other. "You're in Washington D.C. and you're here because my brother's here saved your ass." She was being short with him, and she knew that, but he didn't even say thank you! Moving so that the boy could see her, she nodded her head. "I'm Max." After introducing herself, she introduced everyone in the room in turn. After the brief introductions, she finally turned to the boy. "And who are you?" She perked her eyebrow at the boy, before crossing her arms, instantly going on the defensive.

"I'm..uh.." He faltered for a moment, his face scrunching in thought. "My name.. is.. Ichigo. Ichigo Kurosaki." This was strange - why couldn't he remember his own name? He let off a sigh of frustration, before talking. "I'm sorry... I'm just... really confused." Max's face softened at the words ever so slightly. So the guy wasn't just an ass then, and she felt a pang of guilt for being snappy to him. She supposed she should've been expecting a reaction to the one he just gave - she would be the same. If she woke up in an unfamiliar place, in agony and surrounded by strangers, hell... she'd be worse. She wouldn't have backed down but fought tooth and nail until she was free again. But then, he probably didn't grow up quite the way she did. He probably didn't grow up in a cage, poked and prodded by scientists. From his general demeanour, he grew up relatively normal. A sharp, painful pang of jealousy hit Max - but right now wasn't the time for such petty things as jealousy.

Kneeling down to the orange-haired man, she took in a breath. Maybe now wasn't an ideal time or situation to do introductions, but then... now was as good a time as any. "Let's try this then - I'm Max." She pointed a finger at Fang casually. "And he's Fang. We're here to help you." Her brows softened, as did her voice. Now she felt total sympathy for the boy. "We're sorry that you're in this mess, but we won't get anywhere unless you calm down. Can you do that for me?" Ichigo just stared at her before nodding silently. What a strange bunch of people. His body gave a shot of pain, right up his spine..and went somewhere he couldn't explain. Groaning, his hands instantly moved to see what was on his back, but his hands were constricted. Letting out a huff, he turned to Max once more. "Alright." He steadied himself. "But just...what the hell happened?"

Oh man. This wasn't going to go down smooth, but she took in a lungful of air and explained the best she could. "Iggy and Gasman found you in the School, covered in bandages. They busted you out and brought you here. The good doctor Valeria Martinez here," She pointed to the still scowling doctor. "helped put you back in one piece. Someone had obviously been busy." She shrugged. "That's all we know. But, we'll help you find your answers." It wasn't in really normal for Max to take someone in so freely. No-one got in that she didn't know every dark secret of. Afterall, she couldn't put her family in danger because she felt bad for someone. Standing up tall, she stretched, before yawning. "It's late. Get some rest. We'll get you up and on the move tomorrow, but try and get some good rest, okay?" She smiled, trying to lighten the increasingly heavy atmosphere. Ichigo simply nodded, obviously still in shock. Nodding to herself, she walked back into their 'bedroom', dragging Fang along behind (who was still half-asleep.)

As they finally settled down to rest again, Fang finally spoke up. "I don't know if we can trust him." Max sighed. "I don't know either. I don't think he's an Eraser... But, I saw some feathers though. You don't think...?" She left her sentence hanging, with Fang quickly cutting in with, "No. It can't be. He'd need to be totally reconfigured, and his genes re-defined..." The possibilities buzzed through their heads until they finally passed out once again.

Tomorrow was going to be a very long day.


End file.
